Effect of the Ala12 allele in the PPARgamma-2 gene on the relationship between birth weight and body composition in adolescents: the AVENA study

High miR-511-3p Expression as a Potential Predictor of a Poor Nutritional Status in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Subjected to Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

Nutritional deficiencies, including malnutrition and its irreversible type cachexia, are often observed in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Among the various factors contributing to the occurrence of these disorders, inflammation seems to be crucial. The potential regulatory properties of miR-511-3p, e.g., post-translational alteration of expression of genes with protein products that are involved in inflammation, may be related to nutritional deficiencies observed in HNC patients. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the correlation between pretreatment miR-511-3p expression and nutritional status in patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) due to HNC. In our retrospective study, 60 consecutively admitted patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) due to advanced HNC were enrolled. The analysis of miR-511-3p expression was performed using real-time PCR. Significantly higher expression of miR-511-3p was observed in well-nourished patients compared to patients with moderate or severe malnutrition (p = 0.0001). Pretreatment expression of miR-511-3p may be a useful biomarker of nutritional deficiencies in patients subjected to IMRT due to HNC.

The FTO rs9939609 and LEPR rs1137101 mothers-newborns gene polymorphisms and maternal fat mass index effects on anthropometric characteristics in newborns: A cross-sectional study on mothers-newborns gene polymorphisms-The FTO-LEPR Study (STROBE-compliant article)

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of mothers' and newborns' fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) rs9939609 and leptin receptor (LEPR) rs1137101 gene polymorphisms on neonatal anthropometric parameters in order to identify a potential risk for developing obesity.We performed a cross-sectional study on 355 mother-newborn couples in an Obstetrics Gynecology Tertiary Hospital from Romania, evaluated with regard to anthropometric parameters, clinical and laboratory parameters besides 2 genetic polymorphisms (FTO rs9939609 and LEPR rs1137101).Newborns with mothers carrying variant AT or AA genotype for FTO rs9939609 presented lower BMI (P = 0.012) and lower MUAC (P = 0.029). There was a significant interaction effect between newborn and mother LEPR rs1137101 polymorphism on birth weight (P = 0.009) and BMI (P = 0.007). We noticed significantly increased birth weight and BMI in newborns carriers of AG + GG genotype, coming from mothers with AA genotype (P = 0.006). There was no evidence of significant interaction effect between newborn and mother FTO rs9939609 polymorphism on the studied anthropometrical data (P > 0.05). In addition, lower BMI scores (P = 0.042) were observed in newborns carriers of TT genotype whose mothers had AA + AT genotype. Lower MUAC scores (P = 0.041) were noticed in newborns carriers of AA + AT genotype whose mothers had AA + AT genotype for FTO rs9939609 gene polymorphism. Newborns carriers of the AG + GG genotype (P = 0.003) of LEPR rs1137101 coming from mothers with increased FMI (upper tertile) had significantly increased BMIs.Presence of the variant A allele of FTO rs9939609 polymorphism in mothers decreased BMI and MUAC in newborns. The impact of LEPR rs1137101 polymorphism on BMI and birth weight in newborns differed depending on the presence/absence of the dominant LEPR allele in mothers. In addition, we noticed that maternal FMI presented a significant positive effect on newborns' BMI by changing the effect of LEPR rs1137101.We can conclude that mothers' FTO rs9939609 and LEPR rs1137101 gene polymorphisms presented an impact on birth weight and newborns' BMI, therefore being involved in the newborns' nutritional status and in the design of a potential protocol.

The effect of ponderal index at birth on the relationships between common LEP and LEPR polymorphisms and adiposity in adolescents

This study examined the effect of ponderal index (PI) at birth on the relationships between eight common polymorphisms of the leptin (LEP) and leptin receptor (LEPR) genes and adiposity in adolescents. A total of 823 European adolescents (45.4% girls) aged 14.8 ± 1.4 years were genotyped for the LEP (rs2167270, rs12706832, rs10244329, rs2071045, and rs3828942) and LEPR (rs1137100, rs1137101, and rs8179183) polymorphisms. The PI was calculated from parental reports of birth weight and length. Fat mass index (FMI) was calculated. Analyses were adjusted for relevant confounders. An "adiposity-risk-allele score" based on genotypes at the three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with adolescents' FMI in adolescents within the lower tertile of PI was calculated. The LEP rs10244329 and rs3828942 polymorphisms were associated with higher FMI only in adolescents within the lower PI tertile (+0.55 kg/m(2) per minor T allele, P = 0.040, and +0.58 kg/m(2) per major G allele, P = 0.028, respectively). The LEPR rs8179183 polymorphism was significantly associated with higher FMI in adolescents within the lower PI tertile (+0.87 kg/m(2) per minor C allele, P = 0.006). After correction for multiple comparisons, only the association between the LEPR rs8179183 and FMI persisted. However, each additional risk allele conferred 0.53 kg/m(2) greater FMI in adolescents within the lower tertile of PI (P = 0.008). In conclusion, our results suggest that those adolescents born with lower PI could be more vulnerable to the influence of the LEP rs10244329 and rs3828942 polymorphisms and LEPR rs8179183 polymorphism on total adiposity content. Due to the relatively small sample size, these findings should be replicated in further larger population samples.

Body size at birth modifies the effect of fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) rs9939609 polymorphism on adiposity in adolescents: the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study

The present study was intended to examine whether ponderal index (PI) at birth modifies the effect of the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) rs9939609 polymorphism on adiposity in European adolescents. A total of 628 adolescents aged 14·4 (se 1·3) years (56·8 % female) were recruited. PI was calculated from parental reports of birth weight and length (kg/m³), and the BMI (kg/m²), body fat percentage and fat mass index (FMI, kg/m²) were calculated. The rs9939609 polymorphism was genotyped and physical activity assessed by accelerometry. Sex, duration of pregnancy, pubertal status, centre and physical activity were used as confounders in all the analyses. The minor A allele of the FTO rs9939609 was significantly associated with higher BMI, body fat percentage and FMI (all P < 0·05) but not with PI. Significant interactions between PI and the rs9939609 polymorphism in terms of body fat percentage (P = 0·002) and FMI (P = 0·017) were detected. However, this polymorphism was only significantly associated with higher BMI, body fat percentage and FMI (all P < 0·05) in adolescents in the lower PI tertile. Indeed, both body fat percentage and FMI were higher in those adolescents in the lower PI tertile carrying the A allele of the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism than in those with the TT genotype (25·0 (se 0·8) v. 22·1 (se 1·0) %, adjusted P = 0·030 and 5·6 (se 0·3) v. 4·6 (se 0·4) kg/m2, P = 0·031, respectively). Our findings suggest that those adolescents born with lower PI could be more vulnerable to the influence of the A risk allele of the FTO polymorphism on total adiposity content.

Breast-feeding modulates the influence of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARG2) Pro12Ala polymorphism on adiposity in adolescents: The Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma2 (PPARG2) Pro12Ala polymorphism has been associated with a higher BMI and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood. The association between adiposity and PPARG variants can be influenced by environmental factors such as early growth, dietary fat, and (as recently shown) breast-feeding. The objectives of this study were to assess 1) the influence of the PPARG2 Pro12Ala polymorphism on adiposity markers in adolescents and 2) a possible modulating effect of breast-feeding on these associations.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Data on breast-feeding duration, BMI, and genotypes for the Pro12Ala polymorphism were available for 945 adolescents (mean age 14.7 years). The breast-feeding duration was obtained from parental records. We measured weight, height, waist circumference, and six skinfold thicknesses.

RESULTS

No significant associations between the Pro12Ala polymorphism and any of the above-mentioned anthropometric parameters were found. There were significant interactions between the PPARG2 Pro12Ala polymorphism and breast-feeding with regard to adiposity measurements (all adjusted P < 0.05). Indeed, in children who had not been breast-fed, Ala12 allele carriers had higher adiposity parameters (e.g., Delta BMI +1.88 kg/m(2), adjusted for age, sex, and center, P = 0.007) than Pro12Pro adolescents. In contrast, in breast-fed subjects, there was no significant difference between Ala12 allele carriers and Pro12Pro children in terms of adiposity measurements, whatever the duration of breast-feeding.

CONCLUSIONS

Breast-feeding appears to counter the deleterious effect of the PPARG2 Pro12Ala polymorphism on anthropometric parameters in adolescents.

Fetal and postnatal growth and body composition at 6 months of age

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study was to examine which parental, fetal, and postnatal characteristics are associated with fat and lean mass at the age of 6 months and examine the effect of growth (catch-down, catch-up) in fetal life and early infancy on fat and lean mass.

DESIGN

This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a prospective cohort study from early fetal life onward. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 252 infants at 6 months. Parental, fetal, and postnatal data were collected by physical and fetal ultrasound examinations and questionnaires.

RESULTS

Children with fetal catch-up in weight (gain in weight sd score >0.67) in the second trimester tended to have a higher fat mass percentage [FM(%)] at 6 months of age, whereas children with fetal catch-down in weight had a lower FM(%) compared with nonchangers. In the third trimester, both catch-up and catch-down in weight were associated with an increase in FM(%) at 6 months. Children with catch-down in the third trimester had a greater risk for postnatal catch-up in weight greater than 0.67 sd score. Birth weight and weight at 6 wk were positively associated with fat mass at 6 months. Postnatal catch-up in weight within 6 wk after birth had the highest association with total and truncal FM(%) at 6 months. Total and truncal FM were higher in girls.

CONCLUSION

Catch-down in weight in the third trimester was strongly associated with postnatal catch-up within 6 wk after birth, and both were associated with an increase in fat mass at the age of 6 months. Our study shows that fetal as well as postnatal growth patterns are associated with body composition in early childhood.

Breast-feeding modifies the association of PPARgamma2 polymorphism Pro12Ala with growth in early life: the Generation R Study

OBJECTIVE

We examined whether the PPARgamma2 Ala12 allele influences growth in early life and whether this association is modified by breast-feeding.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a prospective cohort study from early fetal life onward. PPARgamma2 was genotyped in DNA obtained from cord blood samples in 3,432 children. Information about breast-feeding was available from questionnaires. Weight, head circumference, and femur length were repeatedly measured in second and third trimesters of pregnancy, at birth, and at the ages of 1.5, 6, 11, 14, and 18 months.

RESULTS

Genotype frequency distribution was 77.6% (Pro12Pro), 20.7% (Pro12Ala), and 1.7% (Ala12Ala). Growth rates in weight from second trimester of pregnancy to 18 months were higher for Pro12Ala and Ala12Ala than for Pro12Pro carriers (differences 1.11 g/week [95% CI 0.47-1.74] and 2.65 g/week [0.45-4.87], respectively). We found an interaction between genotype and breast-feeding duration (P value for interaction <0.0001). In infants who were breast-fed for > or =4 months, PPARgamma2 Pro12Ala was not associated with growth rate. When breast-feeding duration was <2 months or 2-4 months, growth rate was higher in Ala12Ala than Pro12Pro carriers (differences 9.80 g/week [3.97-15.63] and 6.32 g/week [-1.04 to 13.68], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The PPARgamma2 Ala12 allele is associated with an increased growth rate in early life. This effect may be influenced by breast-feeding duration. Further studies should replicate these findings, identify the underlying mechanisms, and assess whether these effects persist into later life.

Are muscular and cardiovascular fitness partially programmed at birth? Role of body composition

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether birth weight is associated with handgrip strength and cardiovascular fitness in adolescence and, if so, how these associations are influenced by current body composition.

STUDY DESIGN

A total of 1801 adolescents (983 females), age 13 to 18.5 years, from the AVENA (Alimentación y Valoración del Estado Nutricional de los Adolescentes Españoles [Food and Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Spanish Adolescents]) study were evaluated. Handgrip strength and cardiovascular fitness were assessed using the handgrip test and the 20-m shuttle run test, respectively.

RESULTS

Birth weight was positively associated with handgrip strength in females after controlling for current age, gestational age, breast-feeding, and adolescent body mass index (P = .002), body fat percentage (P < .001), or waist circumference (P = .005), but not after controlling for fat-free mass. The associations were similar yet weaker in males. Females with high birth weight (>90th percentile) had greater handgrip strength than those with normal (10th to 90th percentile) or low (<10th percentile) birth weight, after adjusting for body fat percentage (P = .004). All of the differences became nonsignificant after adjusting for adolescent fat-free mass. Birth weight was not associated with cardiovascular fitness.

CONCLUSIONS

High birth weight is associated with greater handgrip strength in adolescents, especially in females, yet these associations seem to be highly explained by fat-free mass.

Birth weight and blood lipid levels in Spanish adolescents: influence of selected APOE, APOC3 and PPARgamma2 gene polymorphisms. The AVENA Study

Background

There is increasing evidence indicating that genes involved in certain metabolic processes of cardiovascular diseases may be of particular influence in people with low body weight at birth. We examined whether the apolipoprotein (APO) E, APOC3 and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ-2 (PPARγ2) polymorphisms influence the association between low birth weight and blood lipid levels in healthy adolescents aged 13–18.5 years.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of 502 Spanish adolescents born at term was conducted. Total (TC) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), triglycerides (TG), apolipoprotein (apo) A and B, and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] were measured. Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), TC-HDLc, TC/HDLc and apoB/apoA were calculated.

Results

Low birth weight was associated with higher levels of TC, LDLc, apoB, Lp(a), TC-HDLc, TC/HDLc and apoB/apoA in males with the APOE ε3ε4 genotype, whereas in females, it was associated with lower HDLc and higher TG levels. In males with the APOC3 S1/S2 genotype, low birth weight was associated with lower apoA and higher Lp(a), yet this association was not observed in females. There were no associations between low birth weight and blood lipids in any of the PPARγ2 genotypes.

Conclusion

The results indicate that low birth weight has a deleterious influence on lipid profile particularly in adolescents with the APOE ε3/ε4 genotype. These findings suggest that intrauterine environment interact with the genetic background affecting the lipid profile in later life.

Tracking and determinants of subcutaneous fat mass in early childhood: the Generation R Study

OBJECTIVES

To examine the development and tracking of subcutaneous fat mass in the first 2 years of life and to examine which parental, fetal and postnatal characteristics are associated with subcutaneous fat mass.

DESIGN

This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a prospective cohort study from early fetal life onward. Subcutaneous fat mass was measured by skinfold thickness (biceps, triceps, suprailiacal, subscapular) at the ages of 1.5, 6 and 24 months in 1012 children. Information about parental, fetal and postnatal growth characteristics was collected by physical and fetal ultrasound examinations and questionnaires.

RESULTS

Normal values of subcutaneous fat mass are presented. Total subcutaneous fat mass was higher in girls than in boys at the age of 24 months (P=0.01). Subjects in the lowest and highest quartiles at the age of 6 months tended to keep their position in the same quartile at the age of 24 months (odds ratios 1.86 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3, 2.7)) and 1.84 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.6), respectively). Maternal height and weight, paternal weight, fetal weight at 30 weeks, birth weight and weight at the age of 6 weeks were each inversely associated with subcutaneous fat mass at the age of 24 months after adjustment for current weight at 24 months.

CONCLUSION

This study shows for the first time that subcutaneous fat mass tends to track in the first 2 years of life. Furthermore, the results suggest that an adverse fetal environment and growth are associated with increased subcutaneous fat mass at the age of 24 months. Further studies are needed to examine whether these associations persist in later life.